When to fish the Beauly

Season: 15th February to 15th October

Although the season opens in early February it is rare for fish to be in the river at that time. The odd fish can be caught in late March and a few more in April and May on the lower river below Kilmorack Dam, but it is not until mid June/July that the main run salmon/grilse begins.

The spring salmon have an average weight of 10lb, and in the summer months the grilse average 6lb. Towards the end of the season the average weight of late running fish in September and October increases, and it is not unusual for fish of 15 to 20lb to be caught.

Fishing the tributaries

The Glass and the Farrar have always been summer/autumn fisheries and sport mainly depends on how many fish ascend the Kilmorack and Aigas Borland Fish Lifts (Aigas lift figures were 3,635 in 2007 and 3,942 in 2006) and very few fish reach this part of the system until early July.

It is difficult to give accurate returns for the system as some beats on the Glass and the Upper Beauly do not publicize their catches, however, from the beats that do publish returns in the region of 1000 salmon/grilse are the norm. The system also has good runs of sea trout with an average weight 2lb.

Apart from the tidal reaches where spinning is allowed, the system is fly only and although catch and release is not mandatory in the region of 70% of fish caught are returned.